


And I thaw in the circle of your flames

by naanad



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Crowe X Aranea, Fleurentia, Fluff, M/M, Messengers!AU, Ravnis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-04 22:58:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14603574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naanad/pseuds/naanad
Summary: The Infernian breathed life into a being, his little fire, and called him Ignis. He was fond of the flame. And when enough time had passed, Ifrit gave the Messenger to the royal Lucian line so that he might be his eyes and ears on Eos, as well as the young prince’s guide.Shiva created a man of ice and gale, and sent him to Tenebrae so that he may act as Lunafreya’s guardian, as the Astrals have always done for the royal lines. Luna was thus an only child, and treated the Messenger, Ravus, as her brother.The two Messengers were nothing if not devoted to their charges, and watched them grow with a fondness that, indeed, touched and brightened their hearts. It was only a matter of time before the divine servants discovered they were two sides of the same coin.But trouble lurks in the dark. And it will devour their love whole should they fail.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Square Enix. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hey, friends!  
So, back in the very beginning of April (of 2018), there were a few posts going around on Tumblr for a mod that tweaked our boy, Iggy, giving him Ifrit's eyes. Literally the same day I saw that post, I began writing this fic lol. It's now complete. See my art for Ignis and Ravus's **[designs here as reference](http://synthetic-sleuth.tumblr.com/post/172997894497/some-more-wips-of-the-infernianignis-and).**

* * *

 

 

**PROLOGUE**

 

 _“...Hence the world buckled under the weight of the dread Plague, long chill fingers threading and unthreading over the laboring lungs of Eos. Here, the Sage, the Healer King, stands up amongst the calamitous writhing shadows, victory in his Dawn-Eyes. For he carries the Sun’s song within him. Like a whip, like a guillotine, like an immense gasp, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, founder of the divine Line who would guard the sacred Crystal, brought down his blade, and eradicated the last remnants of the Scourge from the Planet.”_ \- Excerpt from _He Who Touched the Dawn: An analysis of the Healer King_

 

* * *

 

 

“The time for merrymaking is at hand, my little ember,” the Infernian leaned forward, the gold chains interwoven through his curling horns tinkling against each other like a Mark tree. “There is a chill in the wind that bespeaks the arrival of Shiva and her man in Lucis. Complete your rounds purifying the land, and then you may meet your other half.”

Ignis lifted his head and shot the Infernian an unimpressed look for his teasing. “It will be done.”

The last thing he heard before snapping out of existence was the Fire God’s booming laugh.

Time and space displaced itself. He wrapped the ether around himself like a cloak, and spun the globe in his mind until he found the place that radiated wrongness like a beacon.

It called out to him, and he answered.

There were no daemons, no, there hadn’t been since the Healer King scoured the Scourge from their star, but that did not mean dangers didn’t lurk in the places where shadows once left their mark. The Scourge was eradicated, but other things remained. Domains corrupted by grief; grassy plains where the divine power wrenched the curtain of the veil open, wooded areas where it was naturally thin. That’s where the spirits time could not kill were drawn. They were inquisitive things, investigating memories where the dark tendrils once festered and squirmed, or prodding at the aura of Light that still dwelled in the towering, ancient trees deep in the forest.

Some spirits were simply curious, but others were not so benevolent.

Ignis was tasked with figuring out which spirits were before him, and setting the earth at ease. He could tell straight away that the spirits gathering around the wispy golden light were benign, simply admiring the shimmering memory of old, basking in its ambiance. But there was an underlying distress, however. He stepped forward, grass whispering under his feet, and the spirits turned their empty faces toward him.

“O Messenger of Fire, why do we not feel warmth?”

The spirits knew no rest, reliving that one memory endlessly. He stepped closer and the spirits gravitated toward him.

“Do you not radiate warmth, Messenger of the Flame?” They asked him.

“Yes, indeed, I do,” he answered, and held his hand out. The spirits wrapped themselves around his arm and he spoke a prayer to his Creator to guide them. “You have journeyed far. Now, be at peace.”

The spirits shattered and flew into the wind, a barely audible ‘thank you’ carrying to his ears. 

Morning dew clung to his calves in the tall grass. Dawn was only just breaking - he’d have quite a few hours before he saw Ravus. And that was fine, he had much to do when he returned to the Citadel, to his charge. He searched for Noct’s consciousness with his mind and found him still asleep. All was well.

The earth parted around him as he once more flung himself across the globe, but something stopped him.

Just for a split second, _something_ …

He couldn’t fathom what it was - it vanished in the blink of an eye. A splinter, somewhere deep in the planet, never extracted, calcified in the pit of Eos.

Ignis would have to look into it, later.

 

<<>>

 

The rasping bong of the enormous grandfather clock sounded five times, and Ignis straightened Noctis’s tie for the tenth time that evening.

He was sure it wasn’t even crooked that time. He just needed something to do with his hands.

“ _Iggy_ ,” Noctis drew out the ‘y’ for a good eternity and flicked the little gold chain that swung from his ear. “It’s gonna be fine, just you watch. I won’t even spill anything on Cor,” he teased.

Ignis dragged a hand down his face. “You’ve read over the notes?”

“Yes, Ignis,” the prince replied in the sing-song voice he used when he knew his friend was flustered.

Ignis took a deep breath. This was his thing. He was the prince’s protector, the eyes and ears of the Infernian on Eos. It was his job to think of all the possible things that could go wrong and guide Noct away from those paths. Some would say Ignis worried like he was competing in an Olympic sport. And, well, he supposed he’s never been one to do anything halfway.

Ignis nodded his greeting to Monica and Dustin as they slipped into their plush seats further down the long table.

They were only waiting on the king and the royalty from Tenebrae.

Noctis fidgeted beside him and Ignis sighed internally.

While Ignis was one to fret for months in advance, his nerves would fly out the window the moment he stepped up to the task. Noctis, on the other hand, was his exact opposite in that sense.

The prince was the type of person who would say he wasn’t worried about something again and again, until just about three and a half seconds before he was set to do the thing he wasn’t worried about all morning. It hit him all at once, but Ignis was prepared, as always. He dipped into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of chocolate, leaning close to whisper conspiratorially in Noct’s ear. “A gift for you, your Highness. Nervous?”

Noctis grinned and took the chocolate gratefully. “Not with my favorite advisor around to give me de-stress chocolates.”

The heavy, polished doors swung open, and all eyes zeroed in as the others strode through quickly. The ever graceful Lunafreya and statuesque Messenger, Ravus, trailed close behind King Regis.

Ignis had been able to sense the Glacian’s servant all day in the building. Ravus looked good; he’d certainly went all-out with his attire, the deep blue hues and nearly sheer fabrics drawing attention to the broad-shouldered figure he cut.

Ignis straightened hastily and Noctis shoved the chocolate in his mouth.

“Let us begin,” Regis declared grandly as he settled into his seat at the head of the table next to his son.

Ravus took the chair directly across from Ignis, and nodded a terse greeting to each of them.

Just as the Infernian breathed life into Ignis and called him his little fire, the Glacian crafted Ravus of frost and gale.

Many years ago when they’d first met, Ignis imagined Ravus being carved from a block of ice as it yielded under the efforts of a supremely talented sculptor’s hands. His brain had conjured up an artist laboring ceaselessly to uncover the masterpiece within, but no matter how they tried, they were not able to soften the hardened edges that gave humanity its inherent warmth. Ravus had a handsome face, indeed, but also one of stony orderliness.

Even now, after years of interaction, most anyone else would assume the arctic countenance was befitting of the Frostbearer’s servant.

But Ignis knew better. He was one of the few individuals Ravus allowed past his miles-thick wall of ice. And he’d been captivated ever since.

Unfortunately, the Infernian knew, and poked him endlessly for it.

Lady Lunafreya and another young woman with silver hair took the seat next to his. He’d never met the other woman - who he could only assume was Aranea - but heard tales of some of her antics from Ravus. If she was close to Luna and _even Ravus_ appreciated her humor, he felt confident she’d be excellent company.

Ignis checked on Noctis out of the corner of his eye. He was engaged in a conversation with his father and Cor, hopefully less anxious about having to give his speech.

“My Lady, I hear you’ve set up several new clinics throughout Tenebrae?” Ignis prompted.

Luna nodded spiritedly. “Yes! We - Aranea, Ravus, Gentiana, and I - have begun putting new plans into place to reach more people. Our stationary clinics are only so useful for those who live within the cities and can get there easily enough. Aranea,” Luna motioned to the silver-haired woman, “had suggested we try mobile clinic services as well. It allows me to provide free medical outreach in the more rural areas for those unable to travel.”

“Remarkable!” Ignis perched his chin on his hands and tried his best not to squirm beneath Ravus’s razor-sharp gaze.

Luna smiled at Aranea who grinned back, pride in their accomplishments clear on their faces. It made him smile, too. Luna was an independent individual filled with limitless passion and grace, but even for her, the colossal weight of her duties soon became too much for the young princess on her own. Aranea was a powerhouse of a woman who had been her steadfast companion for years, ever at the ready to give Luna a firm hand up.

Luna, of course, had Ravus as her loyal confidant just as Noctis had Ignis. The two messengers were nothing if not devoted to their charges, and watched them grow with a fondness that, indeed, touched and brightened their hearts. They would both do anything for them. Ignis was pleased to know that others felt the same.

Someone tapped on their glass with a fork and the room fell into a hush. Ignis turned to watch Noctis rise from his seat to deliver his speech.

“It is my great and profound honor to share this evening with all in attendance; to look upon the faces of so many individuals with whom we will pioneer a brighter future. This dinner is for you, for your selflessness, for…” the prince went on, and Ignis followed the words they’d prepared together in his head. Noct was doing well - his unease would be undetectable to most, but Ignis could still see it in the minute twitch of his fingers.

After the speech was concluded, Ignis threw Noctis a wink and congratulated him on not messing up.

Then, it was time to bring out the food. The main course was ushered in on gleaming silver platters and set down ceremoniously before them with both hands. It was soon joined by plates upon plates of cheeses, grapes, beautiful tea jellies, breads, and their wine glasses were refreshed. Ignis flared out his napkin and placed it on his lap.

He tried not to stare, really, but Ravus was actually quite a distracting eater. Not that he was messy, no, he was quite proper. It’s just that every movement he made was… well, there was no better word than _‘enticing.’_

And the fact that Ravus deigned to eat with them at all was a tad out of character. As Messengers, they needn’t eat with the regularity that humanity does to maintain their health. It was unlike Ravus to put forth any amount of effort to appease them by making himself appear less than precisely what he was. In fact, he’d argued with Ignis in the past about this very topic.

Ignis preferred to make himself as unimposing as possible. Most of the time, he ate together with everyone for pure pleasure rather than sustenance, generally adhered to their fashion norms unless he was making his rounds for Ifrit, trained with Gladio, and had long since deemed teleporting around people - and scaring the living daylights out of them - inappropriate. Ravus did not tend to see it his way. _“Ignis, we’ve got horns protruding from our skulls,”_ he’d asserted. _“We’re imposing whether we mean to be or not.”_

So, Ignis was quite taken aback when Ravus said “My compliments to the chef. The food is delicious.”

Astrals preserve him.

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it.

“Ah,” Regis enthused. “The recipe for the main dish was crafted by our very own Ignis!” The king motioned to him with pride.

Curses.

Ignis felt his spinal column turn to slush and slide out of his body. “Yes, it was actually inspired by a dish I’d eaten the last time I was in Altissia…” he trailed off.

“Are you telling me that Ignis, divine Messenger of the Infernian, enjoys cooking?”

How had this never come up before? There were too many eyes on him here.

Ignis hummed low in the back of his throat, deliberating how he should answer. “At first, I did not. It wasn’t until a bit later that I began to understand how the ingredients should be treated. And whenever I discover just the right combination of flavors, they work together like a symphony.” Ignis took another bite and attempted a surreptitious glance at Ravus. “But the thing I enjoy the most about cooking is witnessing the pleased smiles of those who enjoy my creations.”

Noctis poked Ignis in the side and gave him a wide smile. “It would be better without the tomatoes.”

“I hope you choke on them,” Ignis teased under his breath.

Ravus snorted softly into a napkin.

Noctis piled his cherry tomatoes on Ignis’s plate, creating a ring around the edge. “I made you a frame, a tomato frame, a _fromato_ , since you like them so much,” Noctis said with false innocence.

He sighed.

Their dishes were eventually taken away, and while this would be a time for the guests to mingle, for Ignis, it was his chance to learn the motivations of as many people as possible, and ensure they felt a lasting incentive to remain at their side. The king and prince had no knowledge of his involvement, but he’d keep their partners in their pocket for many years to come.

People respected and admired Ignis. As much as he attempted to fit in, he had no qualms with using their intrigue to his advantage.

He’d always been determined to be useful to his prince in any way he could, even if it must remain a secret.

There would only be so many opportunities to go from one important figure to the next, all gathered in the same place. That it would be during the week-long festivities of the King’s Annual Charity Gala was just his good fortune. It was the time of year that encouraged the most affluent in Lucian society to make gargantuan donations to the humanitarian organizations of their choice. He was only giving them a gentle nudge to help the whole of Lucis, he reasoned. The grip the wealthiest individuals kept on their wallets was often the most vice-like when faced with using their riches to better others.

He was simply calling on his flames to warm their hearts.

The world had changed, moved forward, and so, too, had he. Years ago, it would have been unheard of for a Messenger to become so immersed in human affairs, to integrate themselves so directly into society. But both he and Ravus took on additional functions outside of their original purpose: Ignis found himself acting as Noctis’s advisor, and Ravus commanded the Tenebraean army alongside Lunafreya.

He supposed it all still fell in line with aiding their charges.

 

<<>>

 

Ignis was worn thin by the time he’d placed a firm hand on yet another CEO’s shoulder and forced himself to laugh at their ridiculous joke. How many people had he talked to tonight? How many empty compliments had he dispensed? How much more false interest could he muster?

Ignis noticed an unfortunately familiar face out of the corner of his eye and decided he’d reached his limit.

There was only so much he could bear, so, he did what he always had.

He crept out of the dining hall and stole away to the balcony, the chill night air filling his lungs, and letting the past fly free from his being like a kite without a string into the darkened sky.

It seemed someone else had the same idea.

A halo framed platinum blonde hair under the silver moon. He thought about leaving Ravus be, but the truth was, Ignis wasn’t about to jog halfway across the Citadel just to use another balcony.

Ignis closed the glass door behind him, stepping out loudly enough to give the other man a fair warning, and then sidled up to the rail. Ravus looked at him peripherally, but said nothing.

“I take it you don’t fancy mingling?” Ignis tried at length.

Ravus scoffed. “Just about as much as I imagine I’d enjoy getting a root canal.” He paused. “I’m also worried about Luna. She works far too hard for her own good. She deserves a break, and I’m hoping that without my constant hovering she’ll be able to relax a while.”

He nodded in understanding. Ignis knew Ravus and Luna did not always see eye-to-eye, but there was not a single thing in this universe Ravus wouldn’t do to ensure the princess’s well-being. He’d even heard Ravus refer to Luna as his ‘little sister’ on occasion. It was quite endearing.

“Not fond of crowds either?” Ravus asked quietly into the night.

“Not particularly. I also thought I’d give Noct some space. He’ll likely want to catch up with Lady Lunafreya.”

Ravus made a sound of acknowledgment. “It has been quite a few moons since I last saw you as well.”

Ignis’s attention snapped up to Ravus’s face. His heart lurched when he saw the riotous emotions that swelled like ocean tides in Ravus’s eyes.

Ravus’s fingers twitched on the rail; his entire body seeming to waver. For a moment, Ignis almost thought Ravus might lean into his space, or lay a wide hand over his. He wondered if it was his own mind playing tricks on him, but no, something was different about the commander.

Perhaps that’s why he said, “I dare say _too many_ ,” and allowed his own fondness to saturate his words.

Ravus looked away, fidgeting with his bracelets as he settled further on the railing. He tipped his head back to inhale the brisk air, and Ignis could tell he was at war within himself.

Ignis looked over the railing and focused on the twinkling lights of city life below so as not to pressure him.

Just when Ignis thought Ravus had given up, he felt eyes on the side of his face again. “Do you ever…” Ravus began haltingly. “Have you ever allowed yourself to think about seeking happiness outside of your duties? About finding a kindred spirit?”

Something about the moon softened Ravus’s expressions - made him more radiant, more exquisite. His stormy brow soothed, the harsh line of his mouth was made tranquil.

No, no, it was not the moon.

It was simply Ravus willfully bearing himself. 

“I do, sometimes,” Ignis answered casually. And what he meant was, _‘Yes, and I think of you, constantly.’_

Ravus shifted, bringing their forearms together on the rail. Ignis shivered, the cold raising goosebumps along his skin.

Time ceased to exist as they leaned into the wind’s soft caress, that simple act of solidarity speaking volumes.

There was a connection between them in that they were the same within their separateness. Despite how much Ignis tried to fit in, he was not human. He had horns, his sclera were pitch black, he would never grow old. Everyone he knew and cherished would die someday, lost to time. Even Noctis. And he would be left to begin the cycle over anew.

It was maddening.

This was precisely why Messengers were not meant to become so close with the humans they were to watch over, and now, it was too late for them. No one but Ravus understood what it was to be so outside of everything.

Ravus’s companionship meant a great deal to him, in more ways than one.

“I’m grateful for your company.” Ravus echoed his thoughts.

“I do aim to please.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Ignis folded his legs under himself and leaned his back against the headboard, eyes closed, arms resting loosely atop his thighs.

He inhaled deeply as if about to dive into the ocean, and plunged himself beneath the surface of the earth.

_Where are you?_

_What are you?_

He felt around with his mind for any semblance of the splinter that presented itself earlier.

It had been a niggling sensation in the back of his head all day, a strange pull that kept his body taught, unable to find respite.

Hours passed, and he delved deeper, deeper, and it continued to drain him. His ears roared, his head throbbed in time with his pulse, and he gnashed his teeth together.

Somewhere, _somewhere_.

He knew he didn’t imagine it, so he should be able to locate it again.

He felt his essence diminish more the further he descended into the abyssal depths, sank into the liminal space between spaces, _and found nothing._

Ignis drew himself out of the trance-like state and sighed harshly through his nose in frustration.

He would try again tomorrow.

Except the fluorescent green digits on his bedside clock told him it _already was tomorrow._

It was going to be a long day.

He didn’t feel well.

Something wasn’t right, here.

  
<<>>

  
With enough caffeine coursing through his veins, Ignis was soon energized enough that he could take on anything, even looking Ravus in the eye the next morning.

When he’d finally let himself rest for a short time, he allowed his mind to drift back to their conversation. In that moment, under the opaque clouds and the wide sphere of the moon, he felt like something tender - intimate - passed between them. But now he wasn’t sure. Things weren’t the same in the minds of all; they didn’t always carry the same type of weight.

He didn’t want to entertain the thought that Ravus might return his feelings; he felt it might sully the fact that Ravus thought he could confide in Ignis like that.

When Ignis flirted in earnest, he did it with his eyes, with his mouth, the long line of his throat, the angle of his hips. He let his body speak for his desire with absolute clarity. Ignis never was one for ambiguity. But Ravus didn’t always make it easy to know how he was feeling. He tended to keep everything that mattered to himself until he could contain his emotions no longer, and they came pouring forth like a geyser.

The show must go on, however. He poured the remaining coffee from his carafe into a thermos and smoothed down a stubborn piece of hair.

Just because this week was meant to be one of festivities, their duties continued. He changed into his practice clothes and headed down to the training yard.

Gladio was already there giving Noct an earful.

“C’mon, Noct, you know the stances. I’m not gonna go easy just because everyone else is convinced it’s party time.” Gladio’s voice echoed across the open space, and Ignis dropped himself neatly into a chair.

“Too bad I just want it to be _nap time_ …”

“You only just woke up!”

Ignis watched closely as Noctis visibly rallied his strength and set to sparring. It seemed he’d taken Gladio’s words to heart and was putting his all into the fight.

Footsteps clomped loudly on the steps behind him, and Prompto’s voice soon joined the sounds of swords clashing.

“Heyaz! I hope you guys don’t mind, but I ran into Lady Lunafreya on the way down here and invited her to watch. Ravus and Aranea are coming too.” Prompto bounded around the bleachers, dumped his bag down next to Ignis’s, and slapped his shoulder amiably. Ignis smiled his hello and tried to catch a glimpse of the rest of their visitors. Luna, Ravus, and Aranea were indeed close behind.

“How exciting!” Luna’s eyes were immediately on the practice field, looking like she’d love nothing more than to hop over the fence and join in. Ravus looked as stoic as ever, and Aranea was languidly slurping up a breakfast smoothie.

It was a close call in the end, but Noctis got a face-full of dirt, and Gladio declared victory. “You did good, champ. Just gotta work on those blocks,” the Shield reminded him firmly. “Alright, who’s next?” Gladiolus rammed his greatsword into the dirt and eyed Ignis and Prompto expectantly. 

Prompto squirmed in his seat, quickly gathering that the Shield was In The Zone today.

Which meant he was virtually unstoppable.

Everyone else would be sore for days. But a good kind of sore. Probably.

“Ah, how about this?” Ignis watched on amusedly while Prompto’s mind raced at the speed of light. “It’s not every day we have guests. How about the two _divine gentlemen_ in the room battle it out? That would be _beyond epic!_ ” Prompto spun to look at Ravus beseechingly and bounced his eyebrows.

Oh. Well, this could go a few different ways.

Noctis shook the dirt off his clothes and scrunched his brow. “Hey, I’m totally a gentleman.”

“Maybe, in your dreams,” Gladio mumbled and clamped a big hand on Noctis’s shoulder as he led him to a seat. “But sure, if they’re both up to it, Iggster and Frosty can definitely go at it. No magic.” He wagged a finger at both of them.

Ignis chanced a look at Ravus, who nodded to him at once.

He took a deep breath.

Ignis was going to spar with Shiva's Messenger, commander of the Tenebraean army, who may or may not have attempted at flirting with him last night.

“Don’t hold back on my account.” Ignis dusted off his pants and sauntered to the center of the ring.

If this was going to be anything, it might as well be a show, and he was nothing if not flashy.

Ravus wasted no time joining him and taking up a long practice blade.

Ignis spun his own practice dagger in his hand from end to end and their eyes locked, both poised to leap.

Ravus made to strike first, setting forth with a wide, sweeping arc of his blade and Ignis twisted out of the way. He could see already by his movements that Ravus’s fighting style was very different from anyone he’d ever trained with before. He was not Gladio’s raw but controlled strength, Prompto’s quick, ranged attacks, or Noctis’s precise warps. Ravus had created something all of his own. It was an exquisite and deadly dance, entirely fitting of the man. Ignis only wished he could have witnessed it from the outside.

But he needed to focus.

Ravus swung his sword forward in a clean line and Ignis evaded it with a backflip. The commander was on him in a second, sword coming down again, and Ignis brought his daggers up just in the nick of time to meet him in a clinch.

Ignis spun out of the way when Ravus began to bear down, and brought the hilt of his daggers hard onto the small of his back.

Ravus staggered forward and huffed. “You’re resilient, I’ll give you that.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find I’m a bit more than just resilient by the time I’m done with you,” Ignis hummed.

Ravus took the bait, blazing forth with a smirk and unleashed a flurry of rapid strikes. One nearly clipped Ignis, but it did the job of tiring the bigger man out.

They circled each other, chests heaving.

And they all thought training with _Gladio_ was taxing.

It was Ignis’s turn to strike; he leaped to send a flying kick into Ravus’s chest, and the commander caught his leg. Before Ravus could even contemplate what was happening, Ignis used all his momentum to hoist himself up in a flash to wrap his other leg around him, drawing Ravus’s head back swiftly to bear his throat for Ignis’s eager blades. Ravus’s fingers tightened around Ignis’s legs when he realized he’d fallen for the trap.

“I believe this victory belongs to me, then,” Ignis said cooly, and untangled himself.

A shrill whistling came from the bleachers. “ _Ignis, all business!_ ”

Ignis sent a smirk like a freshly-sharpened knife over his shoulder as he returned to his seat.

Aranea elbowed Ravus in the ribs a few times once he was seated and whispered something behind her hand.

“Alright, blondie. Time for horsing around is over. C’mere.”

_“Hng-”_

 

<<>>

  
Ignis discreetly checked the clock.

Their meeting had run far over its allotted time, and Ignis still needed to devote at least an hour to running laps around the entire Citadel ensuring everything was in place for the evening's events. He jotted down a few more notes and kicked Noctis under the table when he looked like he was daydreaming.

“Will that be everything?” Regis all but blurted once the businessman seemed to have completed his monologue. The man barely nodded his head before Regis rose from his seat and exited the meeting room.

Ignis, Noctis, and Cor followed suit.

“That was tedious.” Cor rotated his shoulder. “How is your knee, Majesty?”

Ignis and Noctis followed Cor’s line of sight. Regis was clearly favoring one leg over the other.

“You need not fret. It’s simply because of the prolonged inactivity.” He waved them off and changed the subject. “Ignis, would you mind collecting Lady Lunafreya and Ravus and escorting them to the courtyard? I’ve yet to get everyone together for a photo.”

Ignis held his tongue and nodded. The guest wing was on the complete opposite side of the Citadel Ignis needed to be on for the rest of his preparations today. If he didn’t have Gladio’s physique by the time this week was over, he would be positively astonished.

Up flights of stairs, and then down again, he raced through the sea of gilded halls until, at long last, he rounded the final corner, and found the rooms belonging to their guests.

“But you don’t _understand_ ,” Ravus’s voice came muffled through the door, and Ignis halted, hand poised to knock. “I’m not you, I can't just _say things_ like that! Creators, this all just makes me want to kick a hole in the wall!”

A snort. “Couldn’t you just kiss him instead? Does Luna know you dig him?” It was Aranea.

Ravus huffed. “I don’t… dig… _ugh_. Of course, she knows. She’s been aware since sometime last year when he visited the manor with the king and Noctis for negotiations. I’m amazed it even took that long. It wasn’t something I could’ve hidden from her forever. You may have noticed that lying is not exactly my strong suit.”

Aranea grunted. “Ravus, anything having to do with social interaction is not exactly your strong suit.”

Ravus made an affronted little noise, but then sighed in resignation.

“No, I suppose you’re right.”

Ignis knew exactly the negotiations Ravus must have been referencing. He chewed his bottom lip as he rigorously thumbed through his mental filing system for any other men who accompanied Noct and his Majesty to the manor. He came up with none but himself.

Ignis shook himself out of his stupor.

He couldn’t just stand around idly with his fist in the air while the king waited on them. He knocked briskly once he estimated enough time had passed for Ravus to not be suspicious he’d overheard.

Ignis’s pulse skyrocketed when Ravus answered the door with a frown in his brow.

“Ravus,” he bowed slightly at the waist. “If it pleases you, his Majesty has asked that you and Lady Lunafreya join him for a photo in the courtyard.”

“Ah… Luna was in the gardens, last I saw.”

Ignis nodded and motioned them forward. “Shall we, then?”

Well, at least he got his answer. But there was nothing to do with the knowledge. It was information not freely given to him.

The gardens were a blessedly short distance from their rooms.

“Ah, we’ve found you, my Lady. Your lovely visage is required for improving a photo.” Ignis offered his arm with an extravagant flourish, and Luna laughed, taking it with an exaggerated curtsy.

“But of course. I must say, you were quite brilliant at practice this morning!” She turned to Ravus and linked an arm with him as well. “Wasn’t he, Ravus?”

 “Indeed… But rest assured, I shall have my revenge,” Ravus smirked openly.

Ignis was taken off guard by the expression. “I’m eager to see you try.”

He was ready to escort them to the courtyard and be on his way, but then the king called him over to join in.

“Come, come, you’re family, too!”

He was taken aback, chest swelling with emotion as he stood next to Noctis, hand on his shoulder. It put him in a rather sentimental mood for the remainder of the day.

The closest thing Ignis had to a family was Ifrit, his creator. The Infernian had given him much, and was his guiding force in those first few years when he was just beginning to understand Eos. He loved him, of course, but never did he feel quite so at home as he did with the Lucis Caelums.

<<>>

That evening, he found himself chatting with two elderly women: Ezma and Kimya Auburnbrie. The sisters seemed to have an endless and uncanny knowledge of the world, and regaled him with tales of old even he had never heard before. Kimya had a dreamy way of speaking that drew him in and created a space of their own amid the roar of voices in the ballroom. She seemed to have an air about her that she knew something he didn’t.

And then she leaned forward conspiratorially, eyes alight with cunning. “Keep in mind, you will, Messenger of Flame: only one true path, there is not. Follow not others, but your own heart, you must.”

“Huh…” He pondered it deeply for a time. “That’s sound advice.”

He didn’t feel the presence over his shoulder at all, and flinched in surprise when Ravus cleared his throat.

“Might you honor me with this dance?”

Ignis looked down at the offered hand with wide eyes. There was a tenseness in Ravus’s shoulders that spoke volumes - he was preparing for the rejection.

He could suddenly feel a multitude of eyes on the side of his face, but paid them no mind.

_Trust your heart. Take the leap._

“It would be my pleasure.” Ignis slipped his hand into Ravus’s and rose from his seat.

Swept away into the room, he let the music flow over him like a heavy curtain. Ravus was studying his face, one hand splayed on his back, and another with their fingers twined.

Ignis smiled softly. “You needn’t treat this as if formulating drills for your soldiers.”

Ravus sighed and Ignis could feel his body slacken against him ever so slightly. “It is what I know best.”

“So, perhaps I could teach you a thing or two.” He flexed his fingers on Ravus’s shoulder and guided them from the center of the enormous room to a less populated space. “Like so,” he led the dance fluidly and Ravus caught on quickly. “There, it’s like you knew the way the whole time.”

“I owe it to your excellent teaching. And the lesson worked out doubly in my favor. I didn’t even need to think up an excuse on my own to be closer to you.”

Ignis’s heart bucked wildly in his chest. He chuckled lowly and looked away. “What are you trying to do, Ravus?”

“Trying to woo you… Is it working?”

“I should think so.”

“You are so beautiful.”

Ignis felt his cheeks heat up.

_“Why?”_

Ravus held him a little closer. “Why are you beautiful?”

“You could no doubt have anyone you wanted. Why me? Why now?”

Ravus didn’t falter. “And yet, I only want you. I’ll admit, our duties have brought us together with some frequency, and I could have made my feelings known on any of those occasions, but I did not. And neither did you. Fear and doubt kept me rooted to the spot. It seems we’ve both shattered those chains today. There’s something about you that is striking, and draws me to you like a moth to a flame, as is your namesake. I wish to know you, Ignis. _All of you_.”

Chills danced along his skin.

Ravus lowered his voice, barely above a whisper next to his ear. “Will you allow me to know you, _Ignis?_ ”

“Only if I might know you in return,” he breathed.

Ravus pulled back slightly. “Shall we get started? Ask me a question. Anything.”

Ignis’s brows shot into his hairline. “Wh- I feel rather put on the spot! What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple,” came his easy reply.

“Ha! Mine as well.” Ignis grinned.

“Something told me so. You favor that purple shirt.” Ravus brushed a thumb over his collar. “It accentuates your eyes. Complimentary colors.”

Ignis didn’t think it was possible, but he blushed further. “Alright, how about something a bit more nuanced, then… What does your happiness look like, Ravus?”

Ravus adjusted his hands on him. “It looks like peace. It looks like siblings playing in the sun, chasing each other and laughing raucously. A parent looking fondly at their child. Ensuring my charge’s happy future. Biting into fresh fruit and letting the juice drip from my mouth. Lounging in a field of sylleblossoms. The silhouettes of lovers as they speak in the faintest of whispers early in the morning. My chest filling with emotions like steam upon hearing beautiful music.”

Ignis all but ceased his movements to the point that they were nearly just standing in place as the room moved on with the next song.

“Your turn. Tell me of your happiness, Ignis.” Ravus smoothed a hair back from Ignis’s temple.

Ignis reflected for a while, and took a deep breath. “It looks like a job well done… A shore where the water stretches far beyond the horizon, sea spray in my face. Trees swaying in the springtime. Spending time with those I hold dear - Noct, Gladio, Prompto, you, Luna. The smell of fresh coffee. A pastry dissolving on my tongue. Watching the stars. Running my fingers over the spines of cherished, old books.”

Ravus dipped forward with warmth in his eyes, breath ghosting over Ignis’s lips. He smelled like ulwaat berries and sylleblossoms. Ignis wanted to lay his head on Ravus’s chest and just inhale the scent.

“Someday, I’ll take you to the shore, Ignis, if you like.”

Ignis tipped his head up to close the distance, but Ravus pulled away slowly, casting his eyes around as if only just remembering they had an audience. “Suppose we found someplace slightly more private...”

“Somewhere else it is, then.”

He took Ravus’s hand and hastily led him to the same balcony they’d spoken on previously. A quick glance proved no one to be around, so he pushed Ravus against the far wall and claimed his mouth.

Ravus had asked if Ignis was searching for a kindred spirit. Ignis wondered if it was his.

He would allow himself to find out.

Ravus moaned into him and grasped fervently at his suit jacket.

_Trust your heart._

Heat like an inferno enveloped him from head to toe as Ravus all but fused their bodies together, and he felt any reservations fly apart at the seams. Ravus’s hands were perfect on his hips, his leg sliding between Ignis’s was even better. Ravus was _exquisite_ , but Ignis was never one to be outdone.

Their mouths were scalding on each other.

They broke apart to catch their breath, and Ignis reached up to trace Ravus’s sharp cheekbones, tucking his hair behind an ear. Ravus sobered suddenly, breathing harshly and looking to Ignis with something more or less like awe and confusion.

Ignis looked to him in question.

“Ignis - do not misunderstand me,” Ravus said quickly, pupils blown wide and lips spit-slicked. He was breathtaking. “I have wanted this for a long time, and I would enjoy nothing more than to continue… But to be completely honest, I never thought you would truly return my feelings when I asked to dance. I’ve done a great many things impulsively in my lifetime, but I want to do things _right_ with you.” He took Ignis’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “You will allow me to court you properly before you convince me to put my fingers up your ass in public.”

“You should send that out on Christmas cards.”


	3. Chapter 3

Luna and Ravus were already in the kitchen blearily enjoying their tea when Ignis entered to prepare his own morning coffee.

“‘Morning,” he greeted around a yawn.

“So it is,” Ravus drawled, the caffeine clearly still not having taken effect yet.

Ignis chuckled to himself. “If you’re amenable to helping, I’ll make everyone breakfast.”

Luna perked up. “One of Ignis’s famous home recipes? Certainly!” She turned to Ravus and peered over his mug. “You’re almost done - why don’t you do me a favor and take Pryna and Umbra out for their morning walk?”

Ravus sighed softly. “Because I would rather throw myself off a cliff,” but got up anyway. Then, he looked to Ignis. “I will be back shortly.”

As soon as Ravus left the room, Luna effectively pinned Ignis to the counter with a single look.

“So, I hear you _absconded_ with Ravus last night.”

“ _Luna-_ ” He nearly choked on his coffee.

She set to braiding her hair into some semblance of order and pursed her lips to conceal a grin. “Now, now. Do not think I am displeased. On the contrary, I am overjoyed for the both of you.” She allowed her smile to show through and joined him at the counter. “You and Ravus both have such deep reserves of passion. I think you will be good for each other. Together, you create a balance; a force not to be reckoned with.” She fished around in her pajamas for a hair tie and fastened her braid. “Never doubt that my love for both of you is without end. I wanted you to know that if ever you need an ear, I will always be your ready listener.”

Ignis looked to her dumbfounded. Truthfully, he was expecting the Luna version of the _‘I’m here for you, but hurt my ‘brother’ and they’ll never find the body’_ speech.

He really should have known better.

She clapped her hands together. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Uh, right.” Ignis rummaged through the refrigerator just as much to look for his ingredients as to hide his pinkened face.

“So, where is Aranea this morning?” He tried to act casually as he set a carton of eggs on the table.

Luna began chopping some peppers and eyed him slyly. “She, too, found someone to _abscond_ with last night.”

He sputtered and whisked his eggs a bit more vigorously than intended. “And they’re still absconded?”

“Still _quite_ absconded at this very moment, I’m sure.”

“Why are you talking like that?” Ravus asked dubiously as he reappeared in the kitchen. “Wait. On second thought, I’m probably better off not knowing.”

Luna snorted.

He sent a quick text to Noctis and Gladio to let them know breakfast would be done soon, and handed Ravus a cutting board. “Chop-chop.”

Noctis came yawning into the kitchen, followed by Gladio soon after.

The Shield inhaled hugely and stretched his arms over his head, obviously just coming in from his morning run. “Smells great.”

“A pity I can’t say the same for you.” Ignis set their plates before them and took his seat.

Noct made a sizzling sound and waggled his fingers to represent the burn.

Gladio just flexed and grinned. “The Human Torch is only jealous he can’t achieve big, glistening muscles like mine.”

Luna looked on fondly as she took her own seat at Noctis’s side. Ravus sat beside Ignis, and Noctis gave him a look he couldn’t even begin to fathom the meaning of.

“Something the matter, Noct?”

“Nope.” Noctis schooled his face and dug into his food.

Anxiety unfurled in his gut. He suddenly felt nauseous.

Ravus’s hand came to rest on his thigh under the table, face unmoved.

He must have caught his worry. Ignis curled his fingers over Ravus’s, giving them a light squeeze in thanks.

Ignis didn’t know how much Noctis knew, nor what he thought about any of it.

He’d practically raised Noct. They’d been through both of their most difficult points in life together, and spent so many days in each other’s welcome company. They were together through both joyous face-splitting smiles and blistering arguments, the promise that they’d always be there for each other ever at the forefront of their minds… His most cherished memories all indeed included Noctis, and he was still his dearest friend to this day. So, Ignis felt he knew Noctis well enough that this wouldn’t change anything between them, but prayed to the Gods anyway that it would not somehow impact their friendship.

Ignis collected their dishes once everyone was finished and placed them in the sink silently. He knew he should talk to Noctis, but dreaded having to do so.

_That expression…_

Ravus appeared beside him at the sink, gentle hand to the small of his back, and placed lips, feather-light to his shoulder. “You’re troubled.”

Ignis looked to Ravus, and then glanced over to where everyone else was occupied with something on Gladio’s phone.

“I don’t know what I’d do if he hated me.”

“Most probably because that is an impossible scenario.”

Ignis sighed and bumped their shoulders together.

“I have a meeting after this. I’ll talk to Noctis once it’s over…” He looked to Ravus beneath his lashes, “and afterward, might you be free to meet me at my room before this evening's events? Say, five o’clock?”

“I might,” Ravus said, taking up a cloth and drying the dishes Ignis handed over to him.

 

<<>>

 

When he practically vibrated in his seat waiting for meetings to end, they dragged on for eons. When he wished they were longer to forestall the inevitable - and likely very uncomfortable - conversation he would need to initiate with Noct, they hurtled by with a velocity that would have physicists everywhere second-guessing themselves.

Noctis was already halfway down the hallway by the time Ignis collected his notes and left the conference room.

“Noct, a moment?” he called after him, jogging over and running a hand over his hair self-consciously. “I-”

“Wanna get a milkshake?”

Ignis blinked a few times, then nodded. They went to a nondescript little fast food joint near the shop Noctis used to work at part-time, and got two shakes to go.

Noctis hoisted himself on top of a stone wall, and Ignis followed.

“So, you and Ravus. You’re a thing, now, I guess? Not that you ever mentioned you even liked him, though.” Noctis looked at him, a little accusatory.

Ignis huffed. “Noct, since when have I ever gossipped about my crushes to you like an angsty adolescent?”

Noctis bounced the back of his heel against the wall. He wouldn’t look at Ignis. “I just thought we told each other everything. And I… I’m afraid of losing my oldest friend.”

“Lose me?” Ignis was taken aback. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

“I just - _I saw!_ I saw the way you looked at him.” Noctis’s face went pink from his collar to the roots of his hair. The prince hated speaking of anything even remotely pertaining to romance, relationships or, Gods forbid, sex. “You looked so _content_ with him, and it made me finally realize what we _did to you_. And it made me feel like… like maybe you weren’t happy here. Because of me.”

Noctis looked so lost.

Ignis had no idea what he was talking about.

“Ignis,” Noctis turned fully toward him, and there was not a sky that was deeper, or bluer, or more full than his eyes in that moment. “You were sent to us when I was just a kid, and from that moment on, you were forced into the role of my mother, my caretaker, my advisor, playmate, and a trillion other things. We just dropped it all right in your lap. I know that’s not what Messengers do. Ever since then, we’ve only pushed ourselves on you more.” Noctis’s fists clenched on his knees. “I wouldn’t blame you if you decided you’d be happier with him. Yeah, your duties as the Infernian’s Messenger tie you to us, but we don’t own your life. If you ever want to spend some time away with him, please, Iggy, don’t hesitate. Your schedule can wait. I want you to be happy. Even if that means I don’t get to see you as often.”

“Oh, Noct…” They didn’t hug often. It wasn’t a thing they really did, partly because Ignis usually wished to distance himself from such closeness with the prince for Ignis’s own sake. But he drew Noctis in then.

“It’s true. Ravus makes me feel warm, and safe, and right. He’s handsome, considerate, witty, and sarcastic, masterful in his craft, and so, very, full of love.” He let go of Noctis and looked him in the eye. “But I’ve never once considered my duties to you and your family as a burden. Never doubt that I am immeasurably proud of the man you’ve become, or the honor it has been to learn and grow beside you. I-” Ignis looked away. “Truthfully, this is all very new. I haven’t thought through this relationship with Ravus too thoroughly in terms of how we will maintain the distance, but I have complete confidence that he and I can work it out just fine. I will not give up my spot at your side for the world. You have my word.”

 

<<>>

 

Ignis felt refreshed once he returned to the Citadel and enjoyed a good, hot shower, his energy momentarily coming back to him.

He was just refastening the decorative gold chains to his horns when a knock came at his door.

Ravus leaned casually against the frame, and let himself in with a wide smile. “Your hair looks good like that.”

“Like a wreck?”

“Indeed, a devilishly handsome wreck.”

Ignis laughed into Ravus’s kiss and swatted him away to plan out his attire for the evening. “You came by a bit earlier than expected. Now, you’ll have to wait for me while I putter around and get ready.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

He stared at a shirt for a few seconds, put it down, and then turned to Ravus. “You said you wished to court me, yes?”

“That is the plan.”

“So, how shall we do that with oceans between us?” In truth, Ignis already formulated his ideal situation once he’d dropped Noctis off, but he wanted to know Ravus‘s thoughts on the matter.

Ravus came closer. “We do still have a few days until the end of the Gala. If you will still have me by the final day, I’d like to be yours.” He ran a knuckle softly down Ignis’s arm and took his hand. “The Nox Fleuret and Lucis Caelum family lines have always been very close. I do not imagine it will be overly difficult for us to stay close as well. I should have no trouble traveling to be with you frequently. We can traverse the globe in mere seconds, my dear. I know you’re not fond of using your abilities around people; I would not dream of making you break your oath. But if you are alone, and we have even a few moments free, I would spend every one of them with you. When duty calls, and we must be apart, I shall call you each day until we can meet next. I will wish you a good morning, and tell you how deeply I miss you. And at night, I will hear how your day went, what you enjoyed most, least, and everything else in between, our voices lulling each other like calming waves.”

Ignis kissed him, _slowly, slowly._

Ignis was acutely aware of the fingers that traced his hip bones, and he let his own hands splay over Ravus’s musculature appreciatively.

“Video chatting is also a thing.”

“That it is,” Ravus said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and kissed the tip of Ignis’s nose.

Worry flashed in Ravus’s eyes. “Are you feeling well?”

“I’ve been rather drawn lately. It's probably nothing.” Ignis’s heart gave a lurch, and his body followed it forward. He rested his head on Ravus’s shoulder and hugged him close.

And Ravus held him closer.


	4. Chapter 4

They sat together that evening and didn’t bother to conceal their clasped hands at the table.

Aranea congratulated them, miming a single tear of pride rolling down her cheek. “What a badass couple you two make. But obviously not as badass as me and Crowe.” She nestled her head on the brunette’s shoulder and played with a lock of her wavy hair.

“Obviously,” the Glaive rolled her eyes and looked to Aranea fondly.

They chatted for a bit and people-watched, Aranea rating approximately how drunk certain partygoers must have been when they’d picked their outfits.

He’d never seen Ravus laugh so candidly. It was like a boulder was lifted from his chest, and the joy just came gushing through like a break in a dam. He wanted to see it again. He wanted to see it always.

“I’d like to take you out,” Ignis blurted.

“Like the _murder_ kind of Take Me Out, or the _date_ kind?” 

“I’ll surprise you.”

Aranea and Crowe fanned themselves dramatically.

“You mean you actually have free time for yourself tomorrow?” Ravus arched an eyebrow.

“Not quite,” he shrugged. “But I’ll get an early start and hopefully finish up my paperwork before noontime. We’ll get lunch together. There’s a place nearby I think you’ll enjoy.”

“Alright,” Ravus gave his hand a squeeze, “but don’t push yourself too hard, my dear.”

There was that pet name again. Ignis quite liked it. It made him feel loved, like he was something special, something enveloped in sunshine.

Crowe and Aranea mouthed _‘my dear’_ fervidly to each other, and threw their heads back, hands reaching for the vaulted ceiling like field goals. 

“You two are insufferable,” Ravus grinned widely behind his hand and attempted to scowl at the pair. It didn’t work.

Crowe stuck out her tongue and Aranea flipped him the bird joyously.

 

<<>>

 

Once back in his bedroom, Ignis had a moment of clarity. He likely wasn’t able to locate the presence he’d felt before because there was too much clutter in the city - too many buildings, too many people, too much joy, and sadness, and movement, below and around.

He needed to go someplace quiet away from it all.

Like a rubber band pulled taught, he let himself loose and snapped himself into the pasture where he first felt it. There were no people around for miles.

Ignis walked into the fields of unruly grass and found an abandoned farmhouse in the overgrowth. It seemed as good a place as any, so he climbed up to the roof where he was less likely to be disturbed by any nocturnal creatures roaming about, and let himself sink into the deep.

_Show me._

_Show yourself._

A high-pitched burst, bright and sharp, tore through his skull, and his hands flew to his eyes in pain. He breathed sharply through his teeth and kept at it.

_Show me!_

Ignis went deeper and tasted iron on the back of his tongue.

_I will not stop until I know._

He _pushed_ with his mind and got a vague impression of something slow, deliberate, threatening. Stagnant water. Death. Curdling darkness. 

_More!_

_Let me see you!_

The shadow crackled and bucked against his intrusion, fragmenting, bending, and then it was glowing hot like metal in a forge.

_LET._

_Pain, pain, pain!_

_ME._

_Invisible claws. Awful nothingness. Grotesque jaws. Bottomless chasm._

_IN._

The ringing in his ears stopped. He wiped the tears from his eyes, still screwed shut, hands shaking.

And then it came. Snapping jaws thirsting for his blood flashed wildly in his face, screeching, flailing, violent, festering, all at once.

He gasped.

And tumbled off the roof.

Ignis held his breath and stared up into the night sky as the bones in his shoulder slowly knitted themselves back together.

Owls called in their trees. The shadows of newspapers and plastic skittered down the road like tumbleweed.

He shuddered and struggled to raise himself up from the dirt on shaking arms. He almost didn’t think he could. He was weaker than ever.

The creature.

Whatever it was, it was draining him. And seeking it out was only making it worse.

Even Ravus noticed something was off with him earlier. It all started that first morning. He had to get to the bottom of this. But what was it? Where was it? He _still_ had nothing to go off of. How could he begin to ask for help?

But he would have to tell someone what was happening.

And soon.

He grunted with the stabbing agony each movement caused, and dragged himself up, bit-by-bit. His feet were so heavy. It was like trying to sprint through a pool with all his clothes on, only ten thousand times more strenuous. Ignis was able to summon just enough power to send himself back to his room.

And then he collapsed on the floor, too exhausted to even close the scant distance to his bed.

 

<<>>

 

Ignis was ready to drop like a ton of bricks.

Scratch that; two tons of bricks, and several garula.

He could barely keep his eyes open, and missed his pen can a few times when he tried to tidy his desk, wrist flopping uselessly and without coordination. But the documents had been finalized, and were ready to send out.

He was done for the day.

And he had his lunch date with Ravus to look forward to.

Warmth blossomed in his chest. He looked at his watch. There was about twenty minutes before Ravus would meet him, so he took the opportunity to rest his head on his folded arms.

Ignis went out like a light.

 

<<>>

 

Sleep left him slowly as he resurfaced, a hand on his back.

“I see you’ve overworked yourself.” Ravus’s blurry face came into view. “I let myself in when you didn’t answer to make sure you hadn’t overdosed on Ebony. Even for us, too many is not good for the heart, you know.” Empty cans were practically spilling out of his wastebin.

“Drat, what’s the time?” He looked to his wrist. Just a bit after noon. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

Ignis felt a rush of lightheadedness when he got up, and put a steadying hand to the back of his chair. He tried to cover the motion by pushing it under his desk.

“Ignis,” Ravus leaned a hip on his desk and crossed his arms. “When you said ‘I’ll get an early start,’ I didn’t know that was code for ‘I’m going to stay up all night working.’ What’s happened to you? You’ve been looking more and more drawn lately.”

Ignis huffed. A lie was forming on the tip of his tongue. The part of his brain that didn’t want to burden anyone with his problems told him to just make something up for the time being.

He pushed the thought away and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No… You’re right. There’s something I need to tell you. But let’s get out of this office first, please.”

Ravus stood up straighter and uncrossed his arms. “Something ails you.” He looked like he’d just been forced to suck on a lemon.

Ignis motioned for him to follow and led him from his office.

Before Ignis even realized what he was doing, Ravus threaded their fingers together and had led them to his own room. “Ravus… I wanted to take you out and-”

“It can wait until you’re feeling better. We’ll go some other day,” Ravus said tenderly. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. You tend to the needs of everyone but yourself. Allow me to take care of you.” He opened the door for Ignis, and then followed him inside.

Ignis sat at the foot of Ravus’s bed, shucking off his boots and ditching his blazer. He was a bit disappointed by his own ineptitude to follow through on their plans, but was also immensely grateful to be in bed.

“I know you wished to have a lunch date. We can still do so here.” Ravus waited for Ignis to respond, and Ignis nodded in the affirmative.

“Alright, rest, and conserve your strength. I’ll be right back.” And then Ravus turned to leave, long cloak fluttering around his legs. _They were nice legs, powerful legs_ , Ignis thought sluggishly. 

He’d dozed off again by the time Ravus got back, take-out bag in hand.

“I’m told this is one of your favorites,” he said, setting out two plastic containers.

It smelled heavenly, and he knew exactly the aroma. “Fisherman’s favorite paella.” Ignis inhaled deeply, mouth already watering. “How’d you know?” Ignis joined Ravus at his little coffee table.

“I realized I didn’t really know what foods you liked best…” Ravus rubbed the back of his neck as self-consciousness began to take hold. “So, I asked Noctis. He told me the directions and which dish to order. I,” he looked away. “I apologize for the wait. I walked. I’ve been trying to follow your example when around other people,” he mumbled.

Ignis smiled and leaned over to place a quick peck to Ravus’s cheek. “Kind of you. But please know that I like you the way you are. You needn’t change aspects of yourself for my sake. I’ve noticed you’re eating much more as well.”

“You realize, if I were anyone else, Ignis, that would have come across as some sort of jab at my weight… I am not so set in my ways that I cannot venture to refine my sense of self at my own whims,” he pouted.

Ignis continued to eat and watched him patiently.

Ravus caved, sighing. “Yes, yes. Lunafreya convinced me to try these frilly little cakes recently, and they were phenomenal. I ate… _so many_ of them. It made me finally start to wonder what else I’d been missing out on.”

“So, now you’re set on tasting everything.”

Ravus nodded. “But nothing has compared to the taste of _you_ thus far.”

“You’re dreadful,” Ignis laughed, a toothy grin splitting his face.

Although the food was excellent, all Ignis wanted to do was lay down. The bed was calling his name. He ate as much as he could, and fit the plastic lid over the bowl, contemplating how to ask for what he wanted.

“Will you sleep with me?”

Ravus coughed up a lung.

 _That_ was clearly not the right way. 

“Apologies.” Ignis pounded on his back until the hacking subsided. “What I meant was, if you wouldn't terribly mind staying - to just sleep for a while. With me.”

“I - of course,” Ravus rasped.

Ignis admired Ravus’s shoulders as the commander bent down to undo his foot wraps, his hips when he hung up his cloak. Ignis _so_ wished he weren’t so exhausted. “You are exquisite.”

“Are you complimenting yourself? Because I agree, wholeheartedly,” Ravus purred as he slipped into bed beside him. Ignis burrowed into his chest, ever careful of his horns, a smile playing on his lips. He smelled nice.

Ravus’s arm came snugly around him, and he felt kisses in his hair.

Ignis fell asleep thinking that he wanted this forever.

 

<<>>

 

They were awoken by Ignis’s phone alarm blaring the Chocobo Theme to the high heavens.

_“Guh.”_

Ignis felt around blindly and snatched at the device to silence it. It was the alarm he set for when he’d need to start getting ready. They’d napped for hours - unheard of for Ignis. He hardly ever slept during the day to begin with.

“Are you feeling any better?” Ravus stroked his back, and Ignis melted into him, into the down comforter, and the soft pillows that surrounded them.

When was the last time he’d been held by someone? Certainly never like this.

“Much.” And he meant it. But he knew it wouldn’t last.

“Good.” Ravus tipped Ignis’s head up with a finger and kissed him soundly.

Ignis brought his arms up to wind around Ravus’s neck and opened his mouth for him. Tongues slid together slowly, sinuously, and heat coiled low in his gut. He wanted his hands on him, _everywhere, everywhere, everywhere,_  and _oh,_ how perfect Ravus’s teeth gently at his neck were. How intoxicating his lips were against his pulse. 

He moaned softly and gripped at Ravus’s back when the bigger man rose above him. Ignis gave him room between his legs and Ravus’s kisses became more fervent. _Gods_ he wanted him. He wanted to know what his cock looked like, he wanted its weight on his tongue, wanted it throbbing inside him. 

_Ravus was a symphony and he craved that noise._

But they had an event to be at shortly.

Ravus dipped his forehead to rest against Ignis’s, and they remained in serenity’s embrace for a few moments longer, full of whispers, full of sighs, lips like petals, eyes alight.

“Do you enjoy the theater? We could see a play? Orchestra? Opera?” Ravus asked suddenly.

“Yes, any and all of the above.” Ignis grinned and untangled himself.

“But…” Ignis sobered and stood, putting his back to Ravus. He heard the sheets shift as Ravus came around the bed and placed a tentative hand between his shoulder blades, thumb stroking back and forth.

“What is it?”

Ignis breathed. The memory of that creature flashing in his mind. “Something is very wrong.”

Ravus stared at him. “What does that mean?” His tone came across flat, but fear was building like a fast-moving storm in his eyes. “Ignis, what does that mean?” He repeated, voice taking on a slightly hysterical edge.

Ignis told him of the strange presence he’d sensed out in the fields, about going back, and attempting to seek it out.

“I don’t have even a semblance of a clue how, but I think it forged a link with me - one which acts as a siphon that drains my energy.”

Ravus’s throat clicked audibly, but he wore a brave face, brow set like he was already formulating battle plans. He cupped Ignis’s face in both hands, thumbs caressing his cheekbones, and said: “We will get through this.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Crowe watched Aranea closely as she attempted to evenly distribute her soapy mixture between two bottles with the concentration of an alchemist creating some highly flammable concoction. “Every time I try to do this, I get it everywhere. It dribbles all down the side of the bottle,” Aranea explained unblinkingly.  
  
“Look, babe, you just gotta pour it with confidence,” Crowe said with the air of a world-renowned bubble expert, and took the bottles, mixing them with ease.  
  
“Pft - it’s totally because you’re a mage.” Aranea scrunched her nose.  
  
“Oh, no. My witchy ways have been found out. How else do you think I was able to convince you to be my girlfriend?” Crowe clasped Aranea’s hand and laid a smooch to her palm.  
  
“I knew it: mind control.”  
  
Ignis bit his lip. The pair really did seem to be made for each other.  
  
It was a perfect day.  
  
Cats rested lazily on the stone wall that enclosed the Citadel’s gardens, taking in the sun. Aranea and Crowe were blowing bubbles for a group of children as they jumped excitedly to pop the tiny rainbow orbs. Ravus was conjuring snow in the palms of his hands so Talcott and Iris could throw quickly softening snowballs at each other in the summer heat. Luna sat with Ignis as yet more children gently petted Umbra and Pryna at their side. The gardens were filled with laughter and the bright squeals of happy children.  
  
“Ravus mentioned that you had something to tell us?” Luna prompted quietly.  
  
Ignis nodded minutely.  
  
He thought Ravus had taken the news well enough. He was obviously distressed over Ignis’s well-being, but he supposed that was to be expected.  
  
“Noctis should be back from volunteering at the food bank shortly. He’ll bring Prompto and Gladio with him. I’ll elaborate when they return.”  
  
Worry pulsated in the pit of his stomach, a thought like a blight spreading throughout his body. “Luna, you would be able to sense if there was something… that _shouldn’t be there_ , right?” He eyed her meaningfully, and a hand rose to her mouth in shock as understanding dawned.  
  
He shot a look at Ravus to ensure he was still occupied. Talcott was hanging off his shoulders while Iris attacked him from the front.  
  
“Will you check?” Ignis asked.  
  
She nodded tensely and brought their foreheads together. He felt her Light prod at his as she traversed the corridors of his deepest self, down the great hall of his mind, to his very core.  
  
“Nothing.” She breathed in relief and released him.  
  
The affirmation should have assuaged his worries, but it only served to make the blistering flames of this conundrum burn more fiercely. He didn’t know how much more time he had to figure it out, only that there would come a day when he would no longer have the luxury of wondering.    
  
Ignis knew the hand on the back of his bicep belonged to Noctis before he even turned to face him. Unease wafted off him in such thick waves - it was almost palpable.  
  
“What were you just doing?”  
  
Ignis looked into Noctis’s face and then off to the side. Gladio and Prompto we’re still jogging to catch up.  
  
Luna dusted off her sundress and gave Ignis a hand. Ravus noticed and drew himself up in one fluid motion, Talcott under his arm like a log. He set the boy down and mussed his hair before excusing himself to join their group.  
  
“What’s happening?” Gladio strode up to them with Prompto at his side.  
  
Ignis motioned with a hand wordlessly, and they followed him deeper into the garden. He perched on a stone bench, looked to them each, and let the words come.    
  
It was not easy for him to deliver such news, to bear himself to them all. He was supposed to be above this - was meant to protect them, to take care of them. There was no place for such weakness or uncertainty.   
  
Prompto sat down beside him with a hand on his back when he finished. He almost wanted to shrug the hand off, distance himself.  
  
It stung, but he gave in and leaned toward it instead.  
  
Noct looked at him, stock-still in disbelief.  
  
Gladio held a hand to his brow in thought. “You said you saw water?” The Shield mused aloud. “Some sort of sea creature, maybe? You don’t have to ask twice, Iggy. I’ll help with research.”  
  
Ignis considered it, but a sea creature didn’t seem quite right.  
  
“Or something that just hangs out near water?” Prompto suggested.  
  
That was a tad closer, but still missed the mark. He couldn’t say why; it was only a feeling.  
  
Ravus folded his hands behind his back. “Water is a symbol of death in Solheim-”  
  
“Good thing we’re not in Solheim then, Ravus,” Noctis said through gritted teeth.  
  
“Just as fire is to life. There must be a connection.” Ravus continued. His hackles were raised, and emotions were high.  
  
Luna placed a hand on Ravus’s arm to quell the argument before it began.  
  
“Have you taken a look at a map recently?” Luna asked Ignis calmly. “It may prove helpful to focus on searching around any deep bodies of water near the area you first felt the presence.”  
  
They settled into silence as they mulled the situation over.  
  
A map seemed as good a place to begin as any, although, it certainly would not be easy. How near was near enough? He’d felt it close to Callatein’s Plunge, but he instinctively knew that wasn’t where the creature was. He supposed it would be like playing a game of Hot and Cold. The closer - or hotter - he was, the more profoundly he would feel its presence.  
  
Ignis looked to his lover.  
  
What a time for all this to happen.  
  
Ravus settled his back against the leg of the bench Ignis was seated on, the sun peeking through the leaves to trace dappled, golden light across his nose like freckles illuminated from within.  
  
Ignis never ascribed to the belief that opposites attract, and still didn’t. They may be polar opposites in element, but they were the same in essence. Their humor, their resilience, their dedication, their stubbornness, their passion, and their unconditional love for their charges, all were cut from the same cloth.  
  
They would find a way.  
  
He caved, and leaned down to kiss Ravus’s upper lip, one hand under his chin, the other tracing a thumb along the crystalline horns at his crown.  
  
  
  
_Click._  
  
  
  
Prompto smiled sheepishly and lowered his camera. “I’ll, uh, delete it if you want. I just captured it on impulse. It was a really good shot.” He extended his hand for Ignis and Ravus to peer into the little screen.  
  
Something unbearably soft and lightweight filled Ignis’s lungs - _too much_ \- and he sucked in a breath quickly to compose himself.  
  
“The lense through which you see the world is a truly precious gift. I will have twenty copies.” Ravus handed back the camera.  
  
“And where, pray tell, will you be keeping twenty of the same photo?” Ignis tapped Ravus’s cheek with his fingertips. “You don’t even own a wallet.”  
  
“Oh, no. I will not accept them that small. I’ve seen people put photos on blankets.”  
  
“I will call off this whole courting business in a heartbeat if you give me a blanket with our faces on it.”  
  
“Hm? What was that about a heartbeat? Yes, my heart beats for you.”  
  
“Why are you like this?” A full-bodied laugh had Ignis folding in half.  
  
  
  
_Click_.  
  
  
  
“Another twenty, please. All on blankets.”  
  
  
  
<<>>  
  
  
  
Ignis flitted into the Infernian’s courtyard, hot smoke and ash trailing in his wake.  
  
He’d poured over a map of Lucis in his room, a red ‘x’ marking wherever he planned on checking. It ended up looking like an overzealous pirate’s treasure map. There were simply too many. Noctis had cleared their schedule for the next week, but he honestly didn’t know if he had the time or energy to check every single location.  
  
This was where his hubris and his shame had gotten him. Funny, how often the two went hand-in-hand. So adamant to keep this plight to himself, he’d likely drastically reduced his odds of rectifying the issue.  
  
He strode through a long portico, blanched by centuries of exposure to the sun. It was one of few remnants of the original architecture that made up Ifrit’s palace.  
  
The Infernian had to be around somewhere...    
  
Ignis’s footsteps echoed and bounced back around him in the atrium, emphasizing the enormity of the space. It felt like a reminder of how small he was in the grand scheme of things. How easily he, too, could be snuffed out.  
  
Something about Ravus’s observation regarding water and fire symbolism kept nagging at him. He needed to speak to the Infernian.  
  
Finally, he located him in his conservatory.  
  
Ignis made to bow and announce himself, but with a flick of the wrist, eyes still glued to whatever was on the page before him, a tremendous force propelled him forward.  
  
“Let me look at you.” Ifrit turned eyes on him like coal crackling and spitting in a furnace, and took Ignis’s chin in his hand. “Yes,” he said slowly, pensively. “Death eats at you.”  
  
A feeling like the floor had just been wrenched out from beneath his feet rocketed through him. In a split second, those words had his stomach plummeting, lungs seizing like he was falling out of the sky as the wind suffocated him.  
  
But he wasn’t falling. The world wasn’t breaking. It was just his own heart.  
  
He knew it was a possibility - he felt it as intensely as if spiders had invaded his skin - but the words spoken aloud in the air between them made it real.  
  
“How do I reverse this?” he begged, desperation leeching the feeling from his face, hands fumbling to grasp at the fingers that still held his chin. “What is this malady - you must know!”  
  
“Peace, my firebrand. None shall venture to smother your flames without my own vengeance licking at their heels.” He released Ignis and sprawled on his divan. “It waits at the heart of Eos. Sealed away, it slept for many years. It seems that now, brought to consciousness, it hungers. And it hungers for you. Most likely due to your inherent nature. It shields its own true form from even my eyes, but this much, I believe is certain.”  
  
Ignis wanted to throw something, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. “But how can I stop it,” he asked haltingly.  
  
“What do you know of the creature? You’ve been searching, yes?”  
  
“Yes,” Ignis sighed. “I believe it can be found near water, possibly somewhere in Cleigne… Somewhere that suffered a great deal of losses? Someplace marked by death?”  
  
The Infernian tapped his fingers on his seat in thought. “Well, then. The answer seems quite obvious to me.”  
  
Ignis’s jaw flexed. “How so?”  
  
Leaning forward, he beckoned Ignis over with a crook of his finger. “Listen closely. I can sense your darkness comes from the underworld, and the journey ahead will surely lead you there. Enter into the shadow of this creature unprepared, and you shall never leave it.”  
  
Ignis swallowed thickly.  
  
“The one you seek waits in Steyliff, unquestionably. The mausoleum that rests on the waters of the Vesperpool.” He leaned back in his seat again. “I will aid you as I can by bequeathing enough of my strength to you to defeat your foe, but its potency will continue to wane with time as the creature drinks from you. Do be careful. I’ve grown quite fond of you. Your humans cherish you, and it would break your man should things go awry.”  
  
The Fire God turned his palms up to the ceiling and called forth his essence. Twin rings, each with several smaller circles inside them manifested before him, and Ignis could feel his life force returning bit-by-bit. His breath left him in one tremendous gust as relief filled his being, power pulsating through him anew.  
  
“Thank you. Thank you,” he gasped as the world became more crisp, every scent sharper. Sensations that had slowly dulled returned at once, raising gooseflesh along his arms and the back of his neck.  
  
He bowed and took to leave. He knew what must be done.  
  
But first…  
  
He flew to Noctis’s room. The prince was already asleep, and Ignis knelt before his bed. A hand waved just above his sleeping form ensured that Noctis would have pleasant dreams through the night.    
  
“In the event I do not come back,” the words stalled in his throat.  
  
“You will make a fine king. I know it. Throughout these years at your side, you’ve taught me much. You’ve shown me the world through your eyes. And it is beautiful. Just like your own soul… Know that I will do everything in my power to come back to you.” He bent forward and pressed his lips to Noctis’s forehead. “Sleep well.”  
  
And then he returned to his own room to get ready. He changed into his leggings, tied his sash around his waist, and secured his foot wraps, feeling like he was truly going into battle. He’d not experienced a resolve like this in many, many years. Gone was his anguish, replaced with steadfast determination.  
  
Ignis felt for Ravus’s aura in the Citadel - he was on his way back to his room as well, so Ignis decided he’d beat him to it.  
  
He was just about to take up his perch on the edge of a Davenport desk when he saw it.  
  
Ignis’s fingers found the outline of glossy paper and held it closer to his face in the dim lighting. It was them! It was the photo Prompto took - Ravus really did get a copy.  
  
He hastily put the photo back and turned to face the door when he heard footsteps approaching.  
  
“You’ve returned.” Ravus strode through the door and looked him up and down. “What’s happened?”    
  
“The Infernian may have been able to fill in the last pieces of the puzzle. He believes I will find what I’ve been seeking in Steyliff Grove.”  
  
“The resting place of Solheim’s deceased.” He nodded once. “When do we depart?”  
  
“Now, if possible. This has gone on long enough.”  
  
Ravus creased his brow. “Noctis will not be joining us?”  
  
“By the Six - no!” he started.  
  
“He will be hurt you did not wish to include him. Noctis will be king, and likely feel it a sleight on his part that you do not feel him ready to defend his people.”  
  
“He will be infinitely more hurt when this creature rips his arms off.” Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know I don’t doubt Noctis’s character. It’s his experience I worry about. Had he undergone real-life training, and had I been able to ease him into battle on a smaller scale first, perhaps I would feel comfortable with him coming. But the fact is, he’s only ever fought _us_ in training. How can I possibly drag the only heir to the Lucian throne on a journey through the underworld to fight what could possibly be the most dangerous creature in all of Lucis as his very first encounter in combat?”  
  
Ravus stroked Ignis’s arm lightly. “I didn’t intend to cause you distress, my dear. I am ready to leave when you are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might be interested in reading about my theory for the meaning behind the symbols we’ve seen on the circular plates found around in FFXV before going into the next chapter! Check it out here on my tumblr. You may need to copy and paste the link, sorry :p  
> http://synthetic-sleuth.tumblr.com/post/173610053741/makou-fluff-chocobro-hijinks


	6. Chapter 6

Steyliff Grove was swarming with bugs in the mist-clad night. It rained eternally, and the ever-present fragrance of stinking mud already seemed to promise greater unpleasantness.

The silence of the place, lined with ancient pillars and archways, gave off an eerie quality. It was as if dimensions overlapped here. Ignis cautioned Ravus when the flooded passageway hid gnarled roots from their view, eager to snag their feet. The walls were illuminated by red runes marking its connection to Solheim’s magic like a beacon - its power infused into every brick and cobble.

He gripped Ravus’s hand as they stepped inside and descended the stairs, but had to release his hold to safely navigate the ruin. Debris littered the stairs treacherously, and ancient catacombs lined the labyrinthian corridors.

Time did not so much freeze here as it did cease to exist entirely. Where time itself was null, so too, was their ability to manipulate it through teleportation.

It was not long before the walls opened up into an immense cavern with a barrier of water magically suspended from the ceiling.

“That’s it… That’s what I saw.”

The stone was cool and dry where he expected the floors to be utterly sodden. Where one would expect the smell of stagnant water and rot, there was no scent at all.

_“Turn back.”_

He spun on his heel and sought out the source of the voice.

There was no one around but them.

_“It’s not too late.”_

There it was again - no that was a different voice!

“What’s wrong?” Ravus frowned deeply.

_“Turn back.”_

Ignis turned to Ravus, eyes wide. “You really can’t hear them? The voices?”

_“It’s dangerous.”_

“Voices - no, I hear nothing. What are they saying?” he urged.

“They’re trying to dissuade me from continuing. The spirits of the dead?”

Ravus looked around apprehensively, sharp jaw flexing, eyes flashing in the gloom. “We will do no such thing. Let’s push on.”

He said it more to the room than Ignis, but he nodded and strode forward. “Right.”

His dread only increased with each step.

The deeper they descended, the more his stomach pitched, the louder the remorseless shrieks of _wrong, wrong, wrong_ , struck like a gong in his ears. But Ravus didn’t appear to be experiencing any of it.

They went even deeper.

Every breath became more strenuous the closer he got.

A golden emblem denoting Solheim glowed faintly against the cobbled floor. Dimensions intersected here, indeed.

They’d finally reached the point where they were no longer here nor there. The in-between; the space betwixt what was and was not.

Ignis peered into the disc and the world rippled around the edges, a sickening shock of cold seizing him by the shoulders and drawing him into yet another region of the lightless pit, disconnected from all others.

_“Just so, dimensions collided in the War of the Old Gods and She was trapped!”_

_“Tricked and trapped, She was!”_

_“‘Twas the disc!”_

_“Yes, the golden disc!”_

The floor caved at the next landing, sending them tumbling several floors below and partially burying them in rubble.

 _“Oh, look what you’ve done! You can’t go back now!”_ One of the voices lamented. He ignored it.

Ravus grunted and shook out his hair. “Well, I suppose that did save us from _more_ stairs.”

A door stood before them illuminated by spirit fire, its design completely unlike anything else in the mausoleum. _Was this placed here before or after its construction_ , Ignis wondered.

_“Don’t go in!”_

_“She’s in there.”_

_“Death is near.”_

Ignis’s breath was loud in his ears.

_Focus, focus!_

He called heat to his hands and blasted open the door, hinges flying, and stepped lightly through the smouldering hole.

A voice unlike any of the others raised every hair on his body as it breathed hotly against his neck and asked _“Are you scared?”_

_“She tried to escape from the lightless cavern she found herself trapped in, but the portals were sealed shut! So, She watched, and waited.”_

Claws, feathers, a defleshed jaw snapping at his face flashed in his mind.

_“Not my home. Strange place.”_

Ignis halted in his tracks and turned to fully face Ravus. “We’re getting close. I need you to promise me something.”

Ravus nodded immediately. “Anything.”

Ignis’s fingers twitched at his side. “If there comes a point where something happens to me, you mustn’t try to finish the fight alone. Noct and Luna will need you. They can’t lose both of us today.”

“I will see this creature’s head roll before it even so much as lays a finger on you.” Ravus began to argue, but then seemed to think better of it. He wiped a hand across his brow. “But you have my word… That said, before we go any further, Ignis, please, know that I-”

Ignis shook his head with a smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. “Keep it safe in your heart for me, darling, for when we return.”

_“It’s not safe.”_

_“Why would he do something so dangerous?”_

The road became ever darker, deeper.

Ignis summoned wisps of flame to light the way when the veil of shadows became too thick for even their eyes.

Humming, low and guttural, joined the cacophony. It wasn’t until he noticed Ravus’s stricken expression that he realized this voice was actually outside his mind’s connection to this place.

_“She’s close.”_

_“Death is near.”_

“We’re here.” Ignis whispered.

“I see you!” The voice ceased humming and growled. It echoed through the tunnel, loosening cobwebs and dirt to rain on their heads. “I see you now!”

_“Run! Run!”_

“None but the dead shall cross my path.” Her voice was like hearing sound distorted through water.

_“She’ll make you dead!”_

_“She will unmake you!”_

“Oh, you’ve lit candles for me.”

His flames blew out.

Inky tendrils shot out of the darkness and wrapped around his ankles. With one powerful _yank_ , he was unfooted and dragged into her chamber.

His head hit the ground hard, and he heard heavy iron gates rattle shut simultaneously as Ravus howled his name in panic. The magic in this room was so pungent he could taste it on the back of his tongue. It would take some time if Ravus could get through the barrier at all.

He just may have lost the fight before it even began.

Dark eye sockets came into focus before him in the gloom, and he was unable to look anywhere else.

The shroud lifted.

Like a hurricane ripping doors from their thresholds, shredding winds beating against the shivering walls, the knowledge of who was now before him crowded his consciousness.

The Lady of the Dead: Mictecacihuatl.

It all began to make sense to him.

During the War of the Old Gods, entire dimensions clashed in the upheaval. And when they did, no one and nothing was spared the potentiality of being displaced in time and space.

_Not her home, strange place..._

She knelt heavily on his sternum and stars flashed in his vision.

“How unusual. The thread separating Life and Death falls slack here.”

She conjured a spear tipped with obsidian from a plume of smoke. “You trespass in this realm, boy.”

“Only to take back what is mine.”

“You speak of your Light. But you delay your fate needlessly. Your journey to this place has always been written in stone. It was only a question of _when_. Even the mightiest warriors must all submit to one victor, and that is Death. Life must be nurtured, but you need only wait for the inevitability of one’s passing.” The bones that hung from a rope around her neck knocked together like wind chimes as if to accentuate her point.

Her spearhead found the hard-packed dirt just next to his ear, and a barrage of crystalline spikes of ice shot past her face. She evaded them adeptly as a brutal hoarfrost enveloped the room.

Free of her crushing hold, Ignis coughed violently as air filled his lungs once more, and he scrambled to his feet. Ravus appeared at his side in a cloud of shimmering mist, a fine layer of rime creeping over his skin.

“That was quick,” Ignis wheezed.

“Would you have rathered I stop to admire the ambiance?” Ravus side-eyed him, but they both kept their attention on the Queen as she sized them both up.

She seemed to be calculating, twirling her spear at its middle.

“So, I see… This will be exciting. I lay a deal before you, Child of the Flame: fell me in battle. Prove your worth, and I shall relinquish my grip on your soul.”

Ravus stepped forward and she halted him mid-stride. “Your lover cannot intervene.”

Ignis looked between them both. “Why would you strike such a deal? Why the generosity all of a sudden?”

She tossed her head back and laughed. “My motives are my own. Do not think I do this solely for your benefit.” And she said no more. 

He looked to Ravus once more. “No harm will come to him.”

“Correct.”

“Then, I accept.”

“This was not what we agreed upon…” Ravus looked to him steadily. “But I will respect your decision.” _But that doesn’t mean I have to like this,_ was left hanging in the air between them. A fist clenched around Ignis’s heart as Ravus retreated into himself to protect his own, the stony mask of a commander snapping up like a shield. “I have never once doubted your ability.”

“It is sealed.” Mictecacihuatl turned dark eye sockets on Ravus with an air of finality, and he stepped back grudgingly.

“May you die well and honorably.” The Lady of the Dead wasted no time.

She tossed her spear and vanished in a flurry of feathers. The sound of bones rattling was his only warning as she materialized just behind his shoulder, and used her spear shaft to wrench his neck back.  

“It will be an honor to watch over your bones.”

He head-butted her _hard_ and spun away.

_Focus!_

Ignis summoned twin blades to his hands and sheathed them in flames. “Then I pray you’ve packed your patience.” The fire cast sinister shadows on the walls.

Laughter rang out as she shattered herself and dissipated into a cloud of black.

Sweat trickled down his neck as he tracked the movement - the cloud shifting and whirling.

_There!_

But it was too late.

The air shivered and she flew at him, spearhead rending the flesh on his arm. He cried out and clapped a hand over the weeping gash.

 _“He’s in trouble!”_  
  
“Oh, he’s in trouble, now!”

_Shut up!_

_“Can’t use his blade, now, can he!”_

He called on his flames and flung out his hand. A wide arc of fire like a whip shot at her, and she easily spun out of its range.

Stay calm.

Blood made the grip on his blades slippery. His hand was already starting to tingle with blood loss. He needed to end this quickly and heal himself.

She circled him like a bird of prey, feinted when he struck out with his dagger, and then struck at him again with three successive jabs. He only just barely rolled out of the way of what could have been mortal blows, hissing through his teeth when it made pain like lightning lance up his arm.

Ignis summoned yet more power and braced both hands on the ground. Expelling an enormous breath, he heated the floor of the chamber, the heatwave sending seething fissures through the stone.

There was nowhere for her to escape as her feet burned and blistered on the cracked clay surface. She danced from foot to foot, and he took his chance. He became the fire, cloaking himself entirely in flames, and ran at her with slash after slash of his red-hot blades.

This fight seemed determined to _not_ be in his favor, however.

Mictecacihuatl sent a powerful kick into his gut and he went staggering backward. She growled as she spun on the end of her spear and plowed into him, hyperextending the joint of his elbow. He roared in agony as the pain blossomed.

She landed a vicious kick to the side of his temple, and then another to his back as he went down. His nose made a sickening crack as his face met the floor.

Ears ringing, he clutched his elbow as blood seeped freely from his head wound, from his nose, his arm. He definitely had a concussion.

_“He’s going to die.”_

_GET._

_UP._

He rolled to his knees. Everything seemed to slow as she stood over him, pulse loud in his ears. “Will you give up?” She twirled her spear. 

“Never.”

“Then _come!”_ She bellowed. “Defeat me, and I will ensure yours is a tale to be immortalized around hearthfires for generations!”

Ignis rolled to his feet just as she lunged forward, spear sailing over his shoulder and ramming into the wall. The weapon fractured against the stone and she tossed it away with a huff. He couldn’t see straight. The room swayed dangerously. Blood trickled into his eyes. His entire body seemed to lurch in time with his heartbeat.

_“Death is near.”_

In a flurry of movement, they both dashed at one another, the desperation of their injuries making their blows more frenzied. Another knife found her hand, and she made its home in his stomach.

He gasped.

_“He won’t last!”_

Black static pressed around the corners of his eyes as he fought for consciousness.

He won’t last.

He won’t last.

Ravus was waiting for him. Noctis would wake up without him. He would never hear Prompto’s bright laughter again, or debate with Gladio over whether or not the book they were currently reading was better than the last, or enjoy quiet conversations with Luna in the gardens. He would never see the day Noct ascended the throne, or play with the dogs again, or bake, or drink coffee, or tell Ravus he-.

Ignis wrapped himself in smoke.

He couldn’t lose them.

He solidified at the Queen’s back, placed a numb hand to her forehead, and commanded an inferno to his palm.

The entire room lurched as if alive, shaking, and sending rubble crumbling from the walls.

_“The seal is lifted!”_

She seemed to crystallize before him, dark eyes flashing gold. Like a supernova collapsing in on itself, the room exploded.

And then everything went still.

_“Tricked and trapped, She is no more. To Her True Realm, She may return.”_

He crumbled to the floor.

“Something told me you would do well, Child of the Flame. I relinquish your soul. I have broken myself against the walls of this prison for far too long, sealed away by those who feared me. Free of the chains that bound me for over a millennia, the crushing weight of my suffering is lifted. For that, I owe you. Call upon me should you ever need my aid. Death is on your side, boy.”

Her presence vanished.

It was over.

Cautious footsteps came from the doorway and with a rustle of cloth, Ravus knelt at his side. 

“You promised… to leave if things appeared to be going sideways.”

Ignis couldn’t open his eyes. They were too heavy. All of him was too heavy. And yet, so very light. Like he would turn to ash and blow away in the draft at any moment.

“You mean you didn’t _intend_ to get your arm bent that way?” Ravus attempted at levity, but Ignis could hear the wetness in his voice. “It never occurred to me that you might lose.”

“I must look like a veritable dumpster fire, don’t I?”

“Oh, the look will surely be the next big craze the way you wear it.” The gentle warmth of healing magic seeped into his skin, but his consciousness was slipping. Ebbing like the tide against a shore.

He let the waves take him under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Fantasy games are full of interesting references to mythological creatures, places, events, weapons, gods, etc., from all over the world (Greek, Norse, Sumerian, Japanese, Irish, Aztec, and so on). Something I enjoy doing when I see certain notable individuals etc., is to make up theories/headcanons explaining how they might've ended up in the FF universe.  
> This is basically one idea of mine for how Mictlantecihuatl got there, and why I placed her in my story the way I did:  
> During the War of the Old Gods (not quite the same as in the game because this is AU), entire dimensions clashed in the upheaval. And when they did, no one and nothing was spared the possibility of being displaced in time and space. The Lady of the Dead, Mictlantecihuatl, looked through a portal (one of the golden spheres I mentioned) that led to Eos and then was trapped in Steyliff, where she watched over the bones of the dead, much like her original duties dictated as Queen of the Underworld in Aztec mythology.  
> She tried to escape from the underworld dungeons of Steyliff and return home, but the portals had already been sealed. She then went to sleep for many years in an attempt to amass enough power to try and break the seal. Upon waking, however, it proved futile. As a last resort, she searched and waited for a source of power strong enough to help her break free, and that’s when Ignis came along.  
> When he arrived to break her hold on his soul, she made a deal with him:  
> If he won, she would relinquish his soul and she would be freed in the process to return to her own realm.  
> If he lost, that essentially meant they both lost. So, I think she would have let him win either way, but not without a solid effort first. I will leave it up to you to decide whether Ignis won fair and square.  
> Also, I don’t really know the reasoning behind SE’s decision to make her a giant lizard creature in the game. I went for something closer to the way she’s typically portrayed in stories.


	7. Chapter 7

Ignis woke with something soft against the back of his hand, and a tongue lapping at his shoulder.

He carefully pried his eyes open and let them adjust to the light. He was in his room. The soft thing was Noctis’s hair as he slept with his head in his arms, chair pulled up as close as it could get.

The tongue belonged to Umbra, who stood on his hind legs to get a glimpse of Ignis. He smiled down at the dog, whose excitement upon seeing him awake had escalated tenfold. “It’s good to see you too.” He managed to move his hand to rest on Umbra’s head and he nuzzled into it.

“Ignis!” Noctis rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up hurriedly. He clenched his fists in the sheets as he struggled to find his words. “How are you feeling?”

Ignis considered the question.

“Tired and sore, mostly. But it will soon fade.” He was honestly just glad to be alive. A bit of discomfort meant nothing.

Ravus entered the room shortly after, looking frazzled. “Thank the Gods.”  He came to sit on the edge of his bed and took his hand. “I felt you regain consciousness. I was out helping the Infernian bless the land while you healed… He gave me a very uncomfortable and frankly frightening speech as well.”

Ignis chuckled. He’d have to hear all about that sometime.

His friends visited him throughout the day. He listened to music with Prompto, who’d discovered a new band he thought Ignis would like (he did), and Gladio chewed him out tearfully for a few minutes before embracing him and leaving another book on his table. Luna brought him chocolates and her signature warmth.

Aranea and Crowe even stopped by with a ‘get well’ card they’d obviously drawn themselves, judging by the number of penises.

He told them he loved it, and put it on his desk beside his ‘family portrait’ and the two shots Prompto took of him and Ravus.

By the end of the day, Ignis was well and truly feeling like himself again, or something very close to it, and he told Ravus as much.

“Well enough to accompany me on a date this fine evening?” Ravus rolled on his side and propped his head up on his hand.

“Why, certainly.”

Ravus brought Ignis’s knuckles to his lips. “My dreams are finally realized.”

“Sap.”

“No, you’re right. In my dreams, I’m usually being abducted by cactuars.”

Ignis stared at him.

“Luna told me a story one time about them and it stuck with me ever since.”

He repressed a snort. “My, my. I’ll just have to give you something more pleasant to think about later on tonight, won’t I?” He leaned in and gave Ravus a light peck. “Where are we going?”

 

<<>>

 

As it turned out, Ravus was fortunate enough to get them tickets to an opera at the Grand Insomnian Theater.

It was a magnificent performance about a mythical king who tore the sky asunder to give the world access to the stars. However, it wasn’t so much the beauty of the piece as the fact he was there at all with Ravus that had tears springing to his eyes.

After the piece was over, Ravus pulled him aside outside the opera hall and told him he had one more place he wanted to take him.

Under the veil of night, away from the eyes of others, they parted the world around them and Ravus guided him to their destination.

They were on a beach he didn't recognize. “Are we in Tenebrae?”

Ravus nodded. “The day we danced I said I would take you to the shore. There were closer places, obviously, but this is my favorite.”

Ignis settled into the sand and let his legs stretch out in front of him. “Where in Tenebrae is this?” He smiled as the salty sea air ghosted over his face, and tipped his head back to take in the stars. They were so bright here.

“It’s an old fishing village. People generally don’t come out here this late. Everyone lives up the hill, there.” Ravus jutted his chin in the direction of a group of colorful houses, the once vibrant hues desaturated with age. “They’re hardworking people who fish during the day and sell their catches to local restaurants for a living. I discovered it one day when there were rumors of spirits spooking a group of fishermen.” Ravus leaned back on his elbows and crossed his legs at his ankles.

They took in the stars in silence, and the world faded away as the wind stroked Ignis’s cheeks and ruffled his hair.

“Today was the last day of the Charity Gala.” Ignis mused aloud. “You said I should take time to decide if I’d like to be yours. And I’ve made my decision.” He looked to Ravus.

There was that expression again, like he was fighting with himself.

“I wrote you something…”

Ignis reigned in his surprise and leaned back. “Alright, let’s hear it first then.”

Ravus looked to the sea, and began reciting a poem:

 

“My heart,

soul of my soul,  
you make a fool of flowers with your beauty,  
and empty the world of sorrow with your smile.  
My sweetest ecstasy,  
you let loose the coil of my weary spirit  
and held me with savage gentleness.  
My whole self prickles with your nearness.  
In the crisis of a storm,  
with eyes ablaze,  
you light the way,  
and warm my aching bones.  
For in the circle of your flames,  
I thaw.  
You are a feast for the eyes,  
and I would feast on you forever  
should you let me, my love.”

 

Ignis scooted closer and rested his head on Ravus’s shoulder. “Yes, that changes everything. I’d definitely prefer to end our relationship immediately.” He smirked and Ravus flicked him playfully.

“That was beautiful, honest. No one has ever written anything for me before.”

Ravus laid a kiss to the top of his head, and Ignis craned his neck to join their lips.

“I loved it. Love you,” he breathed against him.

 

<<>>

 

“Love you,” Ravus groaned the next morning as Ignis handed him a cup of tea in bed.

“What time do you depart with Lady Lunafreya?”

Ravus glanced at Ignis’s clock. “At three.”

Ignis hummed and wrapped his arms around Ravus’s bare middle. “We’ve got time.”

“Time to _spare,_ my love,” Ravus said archly, and set his tea aside to cover Ignis’s body with his own, laughter in his eyes.

“I’ll see you again this Monday?” Ignis asked, cupping Ravus’s jaw in both hands and peppering both cheeks with kisses.

“This Monday,” Ravus confirmed.

Their noses gently brushed each other’s, affection shining in their eyes.

They fit their lips together, unhurried. Ravus trailed his lips down Ignis’s neck, to his flushed chest, and then lower.

Ignis let his lashes flutter closed, mouth parting around a pleasured sigh. His hands threaded through thick hair, and his sighs turned to stuttered moans as he struggled to keep his hips from rocking into the intoxicating heat of Ravus’s mouth. Ravus reached a hand up and Ignis clasped it, honest to Gods screaming his release to the ceiling.

Ravus wiped his mouth with a thumb, brazenly smug, immensely satisfied. “You know, something told me you would be a very, ah, _vocal_ lover.”

Ignis huffed. “Oh, I’ll show you vocal, come here, so I can return the favor.”

And so he did.

 

FIN

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I 100% headcanon Ravus as a lover of poetry FYI. 
> 
> I hope you’ve enjoyed. Please feel free to leave your thoughts. Now, I’m off to work on the next fic lol.


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